The Shadow Story
by Mac5
Summary: An epic tale about the history of Sonic and all of his rivals and loved ones...this is the story of stories...a true mark within the Sonic Legacy and a truly memorable tale...
1. The New Pet

1.   
The New Pet   
  
  
The docking bay echoed to life as the cargo ship calmed itself to dock. It hovered over the steel floors, lowering itself with a hissing cry of steam. Its wings sliced through the air as it aligned itself with the small space, the front end glistening as the lights focused on the transparent glass of the cockpit.   
  
Gerald Robotnik limped his way down the ship's side as the steam covered him in a silky white, his hair being brushed back by the oncoming breeze and his long white coat dancing about. He was the drawn appearance of a more serious, but unhealthy Einstein. Wrinkles buried into his face and made wavy textures that etched his jade green eyes. A shiny, silver beard laced and curled from his chin like an ever-flowing stream.  
  
Gerald's cane tapped lightly on the metallic floor as he inched his way towards the back end of the ship. It made a creaking noise as cargo door opened, slamming onto the floor with a big clang.   
  
Men ran up along the sides of the ship, guns in hand, a group of fully armed guards surrounding the active vessel in a linear esque. It let out another hiss as the cargo was lowered off the end by a small conveyer belt built within the door.   
  
Two large crates rolled along to the floor where they were lifted by the line of guards and carried off. Suddenly, one of the pilots of the ship exited from a side door that slid to the side. He wore that of a mail worker and a small black beret. Holding a few forms in his hands, he marched quickly towards Gerald.   
  
"Sir. Would you please sign these before I leave? The shipment has been completed as requested. One large crate of animals from all regions, all frozen, and the other a large portion of meats and vegetables."   
  
Gerald reached for the papers and struck his pen along the dotted lines, "Good, good. I appreciate the fast delivery. Give your boss my thanks and tell him I will have the pleasure of doing business with him more often."   
  
"Yes sir!" the pilot said as he hurried back to the ship, signaling for take off.   
  
  
Gerald limped towards a large door. He clicked in some codes into the data codex on the sidewall. The door slid open quickly and he faded into the darkness, a small laugh crawling throughout the halls.   
  
Little Maria ran up and jumped onto Gerald's leg. She squeaked with delight as she ran her mouth off with meaningless questions, her short blonde hair glimmering in the dim lights. Her figure dwarfed by that of her grandfather's leg. He looked down and smiled, giving a small grunt as a sharp pain filled his thigh.   
  
"Oh! You're getting heavy little one! Maria, darling, give grandpa a rest, I have work to do."   
  
"Grandpa, grandpa! When's uncle gonna come here?" she asked.   
  
"Your Uncle Eggbert won't be joining us this summer darling. Just keep calm and go off to play. I'll be with you shortly." Gerald said as he limped down the lit hallways towards the lab.   
  
"Awwwww. Grandpa! I wanna have someone to play with!" Maria wailed.   
  
Maria, an energetic five-year-old girl, was a sweet, anxious, bag full of excitement and love. She was small for her age, but her spirit towered over many. She often came to the colony to visit her grandfather when school was out. Her parents would often allow it since they were wealthy and could pay the expenses to let her travel there. They also took comfort in knowing that their daughter would be safe in the hands of her loving grandfather.   
  
"All right, all right. I'll get you a friend to play with. Follow me darling. Let's go get a new pet!" Gerald smiled as he limped his way to a door.   
  
Two guards patrolled the entranceway and gestured to Gerald as he came up.   
  
"Are all the animals properly situated now?" Gerald asked one of the guards.   
  
"Yes sir! All in the cages and ready to be examined and given experimentations!" he replied quickly.   
  
"Ah. Good, good. May we inspect the animals now? I wish to take close eye at them."   
  
"Yes sir!"   
  
The guard reached for the door and opened it swiftly. Gerald calmly entered the room as Maria dashed by him.   
  
"Now darling, be sure to pick something small and don't put your hands in the cages!" Gerald yelled.   
  
"I will Grandpa!"   
  
Maria raced back and forth between the varieties of animals incased within the bared structures. She smiled as she glanced at the baby tigers, cats, dogs, bears, and other assortments of animals.   
  
Gerald walked by the noisy cages and smiled at Maria's excitement. He came across a small cage with the words imprinted on the sides "Echidna: Male".   
  
"Darling…how would you like an echidna as your new pet?" Gerald said as he pointed at the small baby echidna.   
  
Its paws were massive and it squeaked impatiently as if wailing for food. It dug about the dirt in its cage energetically and gave out small squeals.   
  
Maria walked up to the cage and stared at the small baby, "No grandpa! It's ugly!"   
  
Gerald laughed and pointed towards the next cage. It had the words "Hedgehog: Male" imprinted into the sides.   
  
"What about that one?" Gerald said.   
  
Maria went over to the cage to see a small, spiky, hedgehog running about. It squeaked and purred as it ran around and rolled on the bottom of the cage playing with some hay.   
  
Maria's eyes lightened up as she saw the small brown hedgehog hit the end of the cage, falling over.   
  
"Yes grandpa! I want this one!"   
  
Gerald opened the cage and took off a small card on the top of it, "It says on this card here…that the keepers called him Sonic. No wonder…he's a fast little devil!"   
  
Maria reached in and took hold of the baby hedgehog…it purred in her arms and glanced up at her with its big, jaded eyes.   
  
"Sonic. Good boy. We'll be friends now!" Maria said as she cuddled her new friend…   



	2. The Beginning

  
2.   
The Beginning:   
  
  
  
Gerald focused on his papers with much anticipation. His experiments were about to begin, ones that would win him fame, grants, and overall, wealth.   
  
For some time his only aspiration was to create the ultimate life form. This creature was to be the new hope for humanity and one day the history of a new age. To accomplish this he first had to create a prototype, one capable enough to withstand the experiments and training required to become the "Ultimate Life Form".   
  
  
Gerald walked about the laboratory where he read on about his future plans, cane tapping lightly on the crystal white floors as he limped about towards the hallways. A pair of assistants followed reading over the same material.   
  
"Sir. Which animal do you intend to choose for this project?" one of the assistants said.   
  
"Something strong, something beautiful and powerful. We shall see when we get there." Gerald replied.   
  
"Yes sir." the assistant said.   
  
  
  
  
"Come on Sonic! Come to mommy!" Maria called from across her bedroom.   
  
The little brown hedgehog sat on all fours looking around. He studied the room closely and sniffed the air. Suddenly he heard Maria from the far end of the room shouting at him. Though not having the slightest idea of what she was saying, it sounded warm and calm to his ears. Without hesitation he dashed towards her, paddling his little legs on the metallic floor, sounding like a small locomotive.   
  
Before he crashing into her legs he sprung into the air landing roughly in Maria's arms.   
  
She laughed as the little hedgehog licked at her face, "Sonic. You're so cute! Stop that!"   
  
The hedgehog leapt out of her arms and onto the floor, squeaking, and rolling with his little spikes, entertaining Maria. She dropped to the floor and rolled along side the baby hedgehog giggling hysterically.   
  
  
  
  
  
Gerald and his assistants, Professors Hamsburg and Lee, stood quietly in the elevator as it lowered itself to the bottom sectors of the colony.   
  
The space colony "ARK" was built under the grants and services of the allied nations. It was created for research in all fields of engineering and biotechnologies. Dr. Gerald Robotnik was in charge of the research facilities held on the colony and responsible for the lives and health of the people taking residence there. The Colony wasn't a government project, but funded by several governments to serve as a research base, meaning that the governments could have access to the files or colony itself when deemed necessary.   
  
The colony had five sectors, or floors, in all. Each sector served a different purpose; from living quarters to laboratories of different fields etc.   
  
  
Gerald stepped off the elevator, accompanied by his assistants, onto the Sector Four grounds where the "Bioscience Labs" were held. He walked down the dim hallways till he reached a large door guarded by two armed men. It was the same room that he and his granddaughter had entered when they chose a pet for her.   
  
Gerald walked up to the two guards, "Hello. Are the animals okay?"   
  
"Yes sir. Would you like to access the room again?" one of the guards asked.   
  
"Yes I would. Please let us pass."   
  
The two guards opened the metallic door instantly.   
  
"Again? When have you been here Professor?" Professor Lee said.   
  
"Oh. I was just checking on them, making sure they were all alive and well."   
  
"I see. Sorry to ask Doctor." Professor Lee replied.  
  
  
The group hurried in past the noises of the caged, baby animals and looked around. Gerald studied each animal carefully looking for one that would live up to his expectations.   
  
"I need something that will adapt quickly to anything and everything." Gerald said.  
  
"Would I recommend a breed from the amphibian or lizard families?" Professor Hamsburg commented.   
  
"Yes. Good thinking!" Gerald replied.   
  
Gerald looked around, spotting some frogs and toads, not liking either of them. Finally he reached something huge. A massive form of a lizard and a powerful form of myth stood in front of his eyes/   
  
"A Komodo Dragon." He said with a small grin on his face.   
  
"Excellent choice sir! Such a powerful creature and so great in power and form!" Professor Lee said.   
  
"I will take this one. Take it to the Testing Room for further study." Gerald said.  
  
"Yes sir!" the two assistants replied in unison.   
  
The young dragon hissed, flicking its tongue out of the cage, starring up at Gerald. Its dark and menacing figure interacted with its surroundings, a shadow amongst the white, metal floors and a stain to the straws of hay lain about the enclosure. It wrapped its long slithery tail around itself as if to warn off any danger as the hissing persisted.  
  
Gerald reached down to look at the specimen, "Hello little one. It's time you found your destiny."  
  



	3. New Energy

3.  
New Energy:  
  
  
Gerald stood at the podium displaying slides off of a digital screen. Several images were of blood cells and liquids taking motion. In front of the screen was a row of seats where several scientists took notes and watched as the slides portrayed a story of research. They all sat in silence and listened carefully to each word that was given by the Doctor.   
  
"As you can see, we will be injecting our new specimen with a variety of enhancers. Each will upgrade strength, mass, brain mass, and maybe even color depending on the creatures genetic structure." Gerald exclaimed.   
  
"What will this lead to Doctor?" one of the scientists from the front row asked.  
  
"What it will lead to is an advancement in all of science. Once the creature has morphed to a secondary stage we will start our experiments to see what it can do or more of what it can learn."  
  
Another scientist raised his hand, "Sir, you do realize that these enhancers may take months to begin working, correct?"  
  
Gerald smiled, "That has been taken care of already. I have made these enhancers a form of mutates, thus I am able to manipulate them at will. I have already found a way to make them work within less than ten seconds of interaction."  
  
"How so?"  
  
"That, I am about to show you." Gerald said as he stepped off his podium down towards the exit.  
  
The scientist arose from their seats without hesitation to follow the doctor.  
  
  
  
The lights thrust through the transparent ceiling as they shined brightly on the team of scientist. Gerald stood silent as he let his observers look in awe at the room.  
  
It was an all white dome with a honeycomb-patterned floor. In the center stood a huge oval structure and a crane looming over it. Circling the structure were seven pillars and sitting on top of the bases of each were small emeralds, which glowed and hummed with energy, varying in color, but not in size.  
  
Gerald walked up slowly to one of the pillars and placed his hand upon its rough surface. He bowed his head and stood silently as if trying to recall a past event, speaking with almost a whisper, "What you see here is a modified version of my first experiment."  
  
One of the scientist spoke up, "You mean the Seventh Circle Project? Wasn't this the one that was to replace all of the energy on the planet?"  
  
"Yes, sort of. You see, energy was soon to die on our tiny little planet so I tried to create an energy source that could be contained, not wasted and last forever. After many experiments I created a large emerald that contained the energies or life force of every living creature on the planet. We were to call this emerald the Eterni Emerald. Unfortunately when we tested the power supply on the colony here it caused massive damage to the computer systems and shut the station down for some time. After that little incident I began to cut down the emerald into pieces, testing a number of them each time. I never could get the results I wanted, even after the seventh piece had been cut, so I through them out into space and gave up on the project all together. That was many a year ago." Gerald sighed.  
  
Another scientist raised his hand, "Than how come you have them now?"  
  
"Well, I was soon called out by one of my colleagues from Earth. He had told me he had found my emeralds and to see what they had done to the local wild life, so I went down on a vacation to South America wondering how on Earth they had gotten there. He led me to a small jungle within the continent and I had found something absolutely amazing, a sophisticated race of Echidnas had lived there."  
  
"What do you mean by sophisticated race?"   
  
"I meant there were buildings and temples. These echidnas walked on two feet and spoke a language unknown to the human tongue. It was amazing. My colleague and I had figured that these creatures had gathered all the emeralds by themselves. One must of landed on their home and by theory we predicted that the energies from the emeralds had triggered an evolutionary process within their genetic structures. After time of researching these creatures and actually speaking with them I learned they had worshiped these emeralds as they would a god. Soon though I persuaded them to give me all seven of these emeralds and in exchange I had lied and made them another emerald with equal power. They tried to test the emerald I had given them, but they couldn't find anything wrong because I made it work in unison with the others, so it appeared they were all of equal power. After tricking the little beast I had them all exterminated to hide the evidence and took back my project, thus I have them here now. And with these strange occurrences resulting from the emeralds themselves, I finally gave them the name of the Chaos Emeralds."  
  
"Though cruel, very well planned doctor and a marvelous achievement!"   
  
"Indeed it is!" a dark man said as he walked towards the group.  
  
He was a young and dark man with glasses. His black hair stringed down to his face as he walked smoothly across the floor, "The names Guiver, Doctor Guiver. I am the head assistant of Doctor Robotnik. We plan to place the creatures cage within this crane then lower him towards the emeralds where the energies will be given off, thus the transformation and then our achievement."  
  
"Ah. Doctor Guiver! Thank you for informing them. It is a pleasure to have such a well knowledgeable student." Gerald said.  
  
"The same to you, a great teacher! Now Doctor, let us begin. Our little pet is becoming anxious." Guiver said with a smile.  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	4. The Transformation

  
4.   
The Transformation  
  
  
"Now, if you look here, Doctor, you'll notice that the mutates have begun working already. Just shortly after being injected they are quickly interacting with the various cells in the dragon's body. We should be ready to take the next step." Guiver exclaimed to Gerald.   
  
Gerald looked through the microscope, turning the knobs to focus on the blood sample, "Indeed. Let us begin."  
  
"If you will follow me sir I will escort you to the observation room, Doctor." Guiver said.  
  
"Wait a second, I thought we and the team agreed on a more close up and personal observation? I don't wish to sit a hundred feet up behind bulletproof class as my creation comes to life. I want to be there when it is born to its new destiny. I want to be there to experience what I have created."   
  
"But sir. We haven't even tested this procedure and…"  
  
Gerald cut him off, "No ifs, ands or buts about it! What I say goes. I want to be down there. You and the rest can sit all cuddled up in your glass chamber, but I want to be there when it opens its eyes for the first time. I want it to know who its father is."  
  
"Yes sir. I will arrange for the guards to get you some protective gear. Please be careful though."  
  
"Trust me, there is no need to say that. This time we will not fail, for we will show the world what we can create with our minds. We are making history today Guiver and we are making a future."  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
Gerald pulled his cane off the table and began to limp towards the door. Suddenly, Maria ran in, a guard followed, taking hold of her arm as he tripped over his feet.   
  
"Grandpa!" she screamed as she hugged him.  
  
"Oh my! Little one, what are you doing here? You know very well this is a restricted area! I don't want you to get hurt." Gerald said.  
  
The fallen guard got up, gasping for air, "Sir. I'm sorry, but she was too fast. I tried to grab her, but it was too late."  
  
"Don't worry about it, just make sure that everything is within protocol and that we have nothing to worry about."  
  
The guard gave a small salute as he rushed out the door, "Yes sir!"  
  
Gerald looked down at Maria with a serious face. She looked back with her puppy eyes and smiled at him. Gerald couldn't help chuckle at the innocence portrayed by the five-year old, "All right. All right. You can watch me work in the observation room, but no trouble!"  
  
She began to hop around joyfully, "Can I bring Sonic too?"  
  
He looked hesitantly at her, "I...I suppose."  
  
"Yay! Thank you Grampy!"  
  
"Didn't I tell you not to call me that? Oh well. Now go along and get Sonic. Doctor Guiver here will take you to where you need to be."  
  
"Okay, Grampy!" Maria said as she ran out of the room energetically.   
  
Guiver raised his voice, "What? I don't want to take care of her! Please Doctor! Remember what happened last time? I still have a scar…"  
  
Gerald cut him off, "Now, now. Don't start with me Guiver. Please attend to those matters at once. I need to prepare myself."  
  
"Yes sir." He said with an irritated tone.  
  
  
Guiver walked down the barren halls yelling, "Maria! Maria! Where are you?"  
  
"In here Uncle Geezer!" Maria yelled with a giggle.   
  
"Don't call me that! Now tell me where you are!"  
  
"In Grandpa's office!"  
  
Guiver tapped on the large oak door lightly and pushed it to the side. The room was a mess full of papers and diagrams. In the center sat a plain desk with a picture shadowing it on the back wall. It was a painted image of Maria herself.   
  
Guiver heard a faint sound of squeaking and the rustling of papers beneath the desk, "Maria?"  
  
Maria shot out from under the desk, a lab coat covering her small body that was three times as big, papers scattered everywhere beside her feet. Her hair was a stringy mess as a little, furry brown hedgehog lied on top of it.  
  
"I found Sonic, Uncle Geezer!"  
  
"That's all very nice, now we have to go. Gather your things and follow me. Oh, and leave the rodent behind."  
  
"He isn't a rodent! Grandpa said I could take him!"  
  
"Yes, but it is unsafe. He could cause some damage, especially when he's with you."  
  
Maria began to sob, "You're mean!"  
  
Guiver looked at the crying Maria for some time before he began to get a sick feeling to his stomach. He hated it when children cried, because they never stopped until they got their way. The only way to solve this problem was to do it gently, Guiver thought.  
  
Guiver walked over to Maria and knelt beside her, "Now, now. I'm not a bad guy. I just don't want Sonic to get hurt, that's all."  
  
Maria wiped her eyes and looked at Guiver with a saddened face, "You mean it? Why would he get hurt?"  
  
Guiver spoke in a faking, worried tone, "There are some really bright lights where we are going. If Sonic was in there he would go blind and then he couldn't play anymore."  
  
"But, couldn't we get him some sun glasses?"   
  
'Damnit, I hate it when kids get smart' Guiver thought.   
  
He picked Sonic up from her head and put him in his arms, "He's too small and he's still a baby Maria. Let's let him sleep okay?"  
  
Maria finally stopped sobbing and bowed her head, giving a small nod of approval, "Where will he sleep?"  
  
Guiver looked around trying to find a place to put the rowdy little hedgehog. Suddenly he got an idea, "Why don't we put him in this warm coat you are wearing and then lay it nicely on the desk? He'll love it there."  
  
Maria nodded and took off the coat, handing it to Guiver. He smiled and placed Sonic, which was fighting to get out of his grasp, into the front coat pocket. When he was done settling the hedgehog he folded some of the coat over the pocket to keep the hedgehog from escaping and placed it on the desk.   
  
"There, no worries. Now let's go see Grandpa."  
  
"Okay, Uncle Geezer!" Maria said with a smile as she ran out of the room.  
  
"Damn kid." Guiver muttered as he ran after her.   
  
  
  
  
"Hamsburg! Please fetch my lucky coat, I want this to run without any problems!" Gerald yelled across the hall to his assistant.   
  
It was always a mystery to Hamsburg as to why one of the greatest scientific geniuses in the world would be so superficial. There was never really telling what the Doctor would come up with or believe in. He was an insanely good man with a mind that spanned galaxies.   
  
Professor Hamsburg pushed his way through the door, papers scattered everywhere. It was a true mess. He was surprised that the Doctor actually worked in this environment or that he could work here at all.   
  
He searched through the papers looking for the white coat. Finally, he spotted it on a small desk in the center of the room. He walked over and picked up the folded, silky coat, moving hastily back out into the hallway to the Doctor.  
  
"Here you are sir!" Hamsburg shouted trying to catch his breath.  
  
Gerald took the coat and unfolded it with care. He placed his arms through it and adjusted the fit, "Thank you Hamsburg, this is all I needed. Hmm. It seems a little heavier than before."  
  
"Maybe you left your journal inside sir." Hamsburg said.   
  
"Possibly."  
  
Gerald felt around his pockets until he heard a soft squeak, "Hamsburg! Watch your manners! I think you need to lay off the dinner meals."  
  
"But sir…" Hamsburg tried to explain himself as Gerald walked away.   
  
  
  
  
"Maria, keep calm!" Guiver barked at the little girl as she tugged at his leg asking questions.   
  
"Where's Grandpa?"  
  
"Just wait, and don't put your hands on the glass!"  
  
The other scientist in the room laughed and commented on the odd couple. No one ever imagined Doctor Guiver with a kid, even if it wasn't his. It was a funny scene to remember. They could all tell the cute little girl annoyed Guiver, and they enjoyed every minute of it.  
  
"Shut up fools! I help pay your salary and I make sure you have a job. If I hear anything else I'll take the opposite into consideration!" Guiver yelled, his face turning red with anger and aggravation.   
  
At once the scientists that filled the room halted their laughter and fell into a deep silence. They all peered down at the large, white dome and awaited the historical show about to take place.   
  
Maria screamed with excitement as her grandfather walked through a door in the dome, lab coat and goggles on, "It's Grandpa!"  
  
  
  
  
Gerald adjusted his goggles and limped towards the oval platform in the center of the dome. He glanced at the tall structure and placed his hand on one of the pillars, "Release the cage!"  
  
Suddenly the ceiling began to move, it slid apart, side from side as a crane lowered a small cage. Inside was the Komodo dragon. It hissed and threw itself into the sides trying to escape, a vicious display of instinct and ferociousness.   
  
Gerald waved up at the observation room hoping Maria would catch his hello.  
  
He cupped his hands over his mouth and yelled out in the dome, "Activate the emeralds and lower the creature to the center of the structure!"  
  
A loudspeaker crackled, "Yes sir. We are proceeding as planned. The room has been cleaned and stabilized so that no other living organism is affected by the energies. As we lower the creature into position the emeralds will be warming up. When we have them at full power we'll release the bars on the cage, all should go smoothly. Once the transformation is complete a team of guards will rush in to restrain the creature and carry it off to its chambers for further study."  
  
"Good! Good!" Gerald yelled, a smile lighting his face.   
  
The loudspeaker tuned off as the cage hit the base of the structure, the crane pulling its claws away from the barred enclosure and raising itself back to the ceiling.  
  
  
  
  
Sonic awoke at the strange sounds all around him. He looked around to see where he was, but was blocked off by the vision of all white. This was a strange place and it smelled bad. Without hesitation he crawled to the top where the fresh air was breathable and inhaled thickly. He looked about to notice that his resting place was bustling with activity, hanging onto the white softness with dear life as it moved around. He became dizzy at once and decided he had had enough of it. Without another thought he leapt out of the place and onto the floor, shaking his furry body to loosen himself up.   
  
Everywhere he turned it was white. He had never been in such a place before and wondered where he could find some food. He looked up to see a large animal towering to the sky, mumbling much like another animal he enjoyed playing with, but this one was louder and hurt his ears. It didn't seem to notice that he had escaped from its fur. Maybe it was trying to eat him? Maybe it had taken him and was saving him for later? He didn't waste any time to run in the other direction. Behind him he heard an even louder noise, earth shattering as it shook the ground and almost knocked him off his feet, but he kept running hoping not to be eaten.  
  
  
  
Gerald screamed and limped as fast as he could after the scurrying hedgehog, "Stop that animal at once! Don't start anything! Stop at once!"  
  
Before he could do anything the little hedgehog leapt onto the structure and hid behind the cage. Gerald screamed, "Stop! No!"  
  
Before his words could be heard the emeralds began to glow brightly, they beamed with energy as the light grew stronger.   
  
  
  
  
Sonic sniffed around the shiny bars. They looked like plants, but they didn't smell like them. He tried to gnaw on one of the shiny plants, but to no avail they didn't move or chip. He sniffed some more till he picked up another scent, moving his eyes upward to see a long slithery tongue flicking over him. The monster hissed and hit the bars forcefully.   
  
Sonic backed up that instant, this time something was trying to eat him! He knew, though, that if he kept his distance the monster couldn't get to him. Suddenly, the worst of things happened. The bars moved out of place and released the monster. It came dashing through towards him. Sonic gave a small, terrifying squeak as he turned and ran like lighting in the other direction.   
  
  
  
  
Maria wailed and hit the glass, "No! Sonic no!"  
  
Guiver tried to restrain her, but she bit his arm and ran towards the exit, "Damn kid!"  
  
He quickly ran after her rubbing his now bruised and teeth marked arm.   
  
  
  
  
Gerald ducked as the emeralds shot out beams of energy at the center of the platform. The light filled the room and blinded everything and everyone in site. He covered his face with his hands and knelt on the ground fearing the intensity of the beams.   
  
Finally, after a few seconds everything was still. Silence filled the dome as the lights faded and the emeralds stopped glowing.  
  
Gerald uncovered his face, squinting to see what had happened. He gasped in shock as he tumbled onto his back. What was before him was nothing he had ever expected.   
  
The Komodo dragon had grown. Its body covered the entire outside of the dome and curled around itself. It lay on its stomach, head rising to the ceiling as it flicked its massive tongue across the walls. Its scales were a glossy green and shined under the lights. Then, with a small raise in its head it opened its monstrous jaws and let out a hissing roar that cracked the glass on every window within a hundred yard area.   
  
Gerald covered his ears as he stared in awe at his new creation. It was a magnificent display of power and elegance. He had never imagined it would turn out like this. He would be famous without a doubt.   
  
"Marvelous! Marvelous!" Gerald said as he stood up.   
  
  
  
  
Sonic tried to focus as he opened his eyes, head aching and throbbing as the blood rushed back to his body. He looked around to see if he had escaped the monster. It looked as if he did. He arched his back in pain, feeling with his hand behind him to find a rough surface. He jumped up at once at the sound of a roar; the surface trembled and hummed with that sound. It felt like an earthquake had just struck.   
  
The monster wasn't gone. It had caught him! He got on all two legs and shook his head in multiple directions trying to find an exit. Wait a second, two legs? He tripped on himself trying to walk, scared and confused. He had a strange feeling that he was going to die.   
  
  
  
  
A tide of guards rushed into the dome, all with weapons in hand. The halted at once when they saw the gigantic lizard.   
  
"How in hell are we supposed to get that thing out of here?" one of the guards yelled.   
  
Gerald looked at them, "We don't. It has grown larger than I imagined. Just try to put it to sleep for now, we will figure something out soon."  
  
"Sir. It's just too big! Putting that thing to sleep is like asking for us to put everyone on the colony to sleep. We don't have that many darts or chemicals to perform that."  
  
"Just do it!" Gerald barked.   
  
The guards looked hesitantly around, aiming their weapons at the creature's head. It hissed once more and curved its head towards its predators. Suddenly it let out a screeching roar as it swung its tail across the floor and knocked the guards over. They toppled onto one another and crashed into the wall.  
  
"No! You aren't supposed to do this!" Gerald screamed.   
  
Then, Maria ran through the open door, Guiver chasing after her yelling for her to stop.  
  
"Grandpa! Sonic!" Maria shouted, hoping to get an answer.   
  
Gerald replied, "It's okay little one! Now don't come in here! Leave at once!"  
  
"I have to get Sonic!"  
  
  
  
  
Sonic listened and heard the sweet voice of his animal friend. He knew though that the monster was still in here, but he couldn't leave his friend behind.   
  
He pushed himself up and crawled towards the voice, over the rough surfaces and onto the crystal white floors. His friend was there. It cried, as if in pain. He couldn't have her hurt. He had to protect her.   
  
The monster loomed over him sniffing. It hissed once more and twisted itself in his direction. He glanced back and began to crawl as fast as he could, but with much surprise the monsters head swooshed over him and went after a different target.   
  
  
  
  
Maria kept screaming, hoping her pet was okay. Suddenly she saw it, the gaping jaws as they reached for her.   
  
Gerald threw his hands up, waving them to the door, "Maria! Run!"  
  
She ducked her head and crouched as the monster lunged at its new meal.   
  
  
  
  
Sonic didn't know what to do, but his mind was set that he would save her. He opened his mouth trying to speak, "Ma-ri-a. Ma-ri-a!"  
  
A low humming began to fill the dome. Light darted from the floor as the seven Chaos Emeralds floated into the sky. They began circling and surging with energy, suddenly stopping, and within a second they crashed into the desperate hedgehog, fusing with him.   
  
Beams of light cracked the surface and walls of the dome. The monster stopped at once and closed its eyes, blinded by the furious storm of lights.   
  
Gerald rushed over to Maria taking her close to him and carrying her to the door. He glanced back to see what had happened and his jaw dropped. Before him was an angel. A golden angel of hope as it levitated in the air, shining and mysterious. Its spikes rose to the sky and it looked as if it had wings.  
  
  
  
  
Sonic opened his eyes once again, feeling a wonderful sensation grace over. He was floating in mid air. He always wondered what it was like to be a bird, now he knew.   
  
He had to save Maria though, and without much more to think he dived at the monster, for once not thinking of himself. If he was to be eaten, better it was him than his friend.   
  
With a clash of thunder he landed his fist into the monsters jaw. A giant crack was heard throughout the dome as the monster collided with the wall, toppling over on itself. Knocked out cold the monster gave a final hiss as it closed its eyes and let its tongue drop.   
  
Maria sat near her grandfather, her eyes wide with amazement, "Grandpa. Sonic is an angel!"  
  
Gerald watched as the flying, golden hedgehog hovered over its fallen victim, "Yes little one, he is. He is…"  
  



End file.
